const for ApacheRequestRec::custom_response()

[Kurt M. Brown]

I suggest the change of:

   ApacheRequestRec::custom_response(int status, char *string)

to

   ApacheRequestRec::custom_response(int status, const char* str)

This would better support c++ std::string.

An issue with the Apache api is that ap_custom_response() signature:

  void ap_custom_response(request_rec *r, int status, char *string)

I changed the signature and recompiled without warnings or errors:

Index: include/http_core.h

RCS file: /home/cvspublic/httpd-2.0/include/http_core.h,v
retrieving revision 1.52
diff -r1.52 http_core.h
257c257
< AP_DECLARE(void) ap_custom_response(request_rec *r, int status, char *string);
---
> AP_DECLARE(void) ap_custom_response(request_rec *r, int status, const char *string);

Index: server/core.c

RCS file: /home/cvspublic/httpd-2.0/server/core.c,v
retrieving revision 1.98
diff -r1.98 core.c
946c946
< AP_DECLARE(void) ap_custom_response(request_rec *r, int status, char *string)
---
> AP_DECLARE(void) ap_custom_response(request_rec *r, int status, const char *string)

So it would be best if the Apache api is modified. Otherwise, a portable
c-style cast (char*) could be used in the member function.

Apache developers might have chosen the non-const signature because
ap_custom_response() uses apr_pstrcat() which does a char* cast instead of a
const char*:

Index: srclib/apr/strings/apr_strings.c

RCS file: /home/cvspublic/apr/strings/apr_strings.c,v
retrieving revision 1.22
diff -r1.22 apr_strings.c
126c126
<     while ((cp = va_arg(adummy, char *)) != NULL) {
---
>     while ((cp = va_arg(adummy, const char *)) != NULL) {
146c146
<     while ((argp = va_arg(adummy, char *)) != NULL) {
---
>     while ((argp = va_arg(adummy, const char *)) != NULL) {

The change to apr_pstrcat() is not required for the change to ap_custom_response().

[John Sterling]

I will try to submit the patch back to new-httpd ... in the meantime cpp_request will take in a const char *, and cast when calling the new-httpd method - that should shield cplusplus consumers from the mis-constification.

[Kurt M. Brown]

I submitted the change to ap_custom_response() and it was commited in the Apache-2.0 source.